Kobo and the Samsung Galaxy Tab

[wallcraft]

The Tab is positioned as a high-end tablet. For example, it is likely the only 7" tablet available this year with a 1024x600 screen. The 1GHz Cortex A8 processor may soon be blown away by the Tegra 2, but current inexpensive Android tablets are clocking in at about 600 MHz.

It may still be too expensive to sell well off-contract, and I am not convinced that many will be sold on contract. Tablets are not cell phones, and if you also have an Android phone you will be better off tethering the tablet than buying a separate contract.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

The iPad does too little, and is too restricted for me.

SOS: if the iPad at 9.7" fully supported by the advanced iPod/iTunes content environment has no appeal for you, the Samsung Tab will not either. It is designed for the same general mobile entertainment user. Clearly, that does not include you. Probably none of the Android tablets coming to market soon will meet your needs.

Originally Posted by taming

I would seriously consider buying one from whatever provider carries it in Canada and moving my SIM to it from my existing plan. Since Bell, Telus, and Rogers all operate with the same GSM scheme (no CDMA, etc) that should be doable here.

Just to clarify: Bell and Telus do not operate a GSM network (aka 2G); they do have a CDMA network. All three carriers -- Rogers, Bell and Telus -- operate an advanced HSPA+ 3G network (21 mbps data). All three carry Samsung devices including the Galaxy S series just coming to market. Given that, it's quite reasonable to think one or all of them will make the Samsung Tab available later this year. I suspect they'll be reasonably popular as a subsidized device.

[taming]

All three offer phones operating on the GSM 850 and 1900 bands (and sometimes additional ones). The CDMA Telus/Bell (often called Bellus here) was all those carriers had until recently when they rolled out their new services--properly called HSPA + 3G, as Sensual Poet said. No new CDMA only phones are being rolled out here, as far as I know, and new phones are released with the GSM bands and no CDMA capability. There are rumours of world phones to come, which would include CDMA capability and have 4 GSM bands. If there are exceptions to this, I am sure SP will clarify further.

[SensualPoet]

@ taming: I don't want to beat a dead-horse. However, in Canada, only Rogers operates a 2G GSM network. Bell, Telus and Rogers operate 3G HSPA networks, with data up to 21 mbps (although only data sticks achieve that speed; no phones yet support 21 mbps). The only reason this is important is that some devices -- including the Kindle and most HSPA phones -- gracefully "fall back" to 2G where 3G isn't available. Rogers offers this; Bell/Telus do not: the call simply drops.

The Galaxy Tab has now been announced by both Rogers and Bell in Canada, according to a press release direct from Samsung. Rogers has also posted an item about this device on its PR site, "Rogers Red Board". Timing is still "fall 2010" and no pricing has been released.

Presuming it is available for less than an iPad, it has some interesting advantages. For Kobo, the e-reader app is pre-installed. Because it also includes voice cell service, even at OS 2.2, it has full access to the Android App Market -- something no other tablet yet has and will have to wait for 3.0 release in spring 2011. There are other niceties: front and back camera for video conferencing.

See updated hands-on link: http://computershopper.com/shoptalk/...ung-galaxy-tab

And video: although it is a 7" diagonal screen, it is also 16:9 ratio. An iPad is 4:3 ratio meaning almost all video content -- which is 16:9 -- "wastes" a lot of iPad's larger screen with black bars top and bottom. So actually typical video viewing area on the Samsung Tab isn't much different than the iPad because it uses the entire screen.

Finally, these devices do not require long-term contracts (in Canada). The iPad is month-to-month and you can buy modest 3G data (because you intend to use wifi most of the time) or a larger data bucket because, this month, you expect to use a lot more. Skipping a month or three has no penalties. It remains to be seen if the Samsung device follows the iPad plans. (AT&T in the US follows more or less the above scheme.)

[samgat]

Samsung Galaxy Tab's price drops in UK. I think it will drop until the end of the year in other parts of the world as well

Samsung Galaxy Tab price